Nikon annonces the D800 and breaks a new resolution record

Today Nikon announced the long-awaited D800 with a 36 MPix full-frame sensor. This new high-end DSLR has many promising aspects.

First of all, it should be said that there is a huge difference in the sensor compared to its predecessor, the Nikon D700 (with “only” 12 MPix). Almost 4 years later, the Nikon D800 leapfrogs the D700 but also all other DSLRs on the market with an impressive 36 MPix full-frame sensor.

This gives a pixel pitch of 4.8 µm, among the smallest for full-frame DSLRs such as the Nikon D7000, the Pentax K5, and the Sony A580. If the D800’s sensor uses the same kinds of technology as these models, it should achieve some interesting DxOMark scores.

The D700 was known for its brilliant low-light performances with a DxOMark low-light score of 2303. One of the key comparison criteria for the D800 will be its noise level at high ISO.

D700

D800

D4

Resolution

12.20 MPix

36.15 MPix

16.16 MPix

Sensor size (mm)

24.0 x 36.0

24.0 x 36.0

23.9 x 36.0

Pixel pitch (µm)

8.4

4.8

7.3

Frame rate (fps)

5 to 8

4 to 6

up to 11

ISO latitude

50 - 25 600

50 - 25 600

50 - 204 800

One last thing about the D700 sensor: It was one of the last Nikon cameras with a dynamic range that hit a ceiling at low ISO, but we expect a much better performance from the D800 since it launched after Nikon fixed this limitation in the D700.

In term of lenses, the D800 is the first full-frame with such a high resolution, so it will definitely push lenses to their limits as the lens scores of the D7000 tend to prove. It will be interesting to see how the Nikon lenses cope with this.

With the D800, Nikon also announced the D800E. This E version comes without an anti-aliasing filter for photographers who want to take full advantage of the 36 MPix resolution, and who can deal with the potential moiré that the demosaicing creates.

We had the chance to attend Nikon’s press launch and will give you more details about our first hands-on impressions tomorrow. (Unfortunately, we were not able to obtain either a D800 or a D800E to take back to our labs, so we will have to wait a bit longer to provide full DxOMark test results.)

Further readings for the Nikon annonces the D800 and breaks a new resolution record

To provide photographers with a broader perspective about mobiles, lenses and cameras, here are links to articles, reviews, and analyses of photographic equipment produced by DxOMark, renown websites, magazines or blogs.

Comments

D800 as Super DX?

may have posted this in the wrong place... Just discovered DXO- WOW, whata great service you guys provide us camera geeks!

My thoughts, correct me if i'm wrong; The D800 in-camera crop leaves the remaining 16 mp at the same density as the 36 mp right?

Doesn't this actually make the camera also a High Density DX camera?

More to the point is that I've found my 17-55 f2.8 DX lens including the 18-300 Nikon f3.5 has AMAZING sharpness that you can see from the back of the camera. You're jaw will drop when you zoom in!

What do you say to a review of at least the Nikkor DX lens on the D800? The 2.8 Nikkor DX lens should be sharp anyway so, just to see if I'm Looney or not, test just one, the 18-300 and see what you see.

So far as I've seen, almost every lens scores higher on the D800 as oppose to other Nikon cameras. So, What do you say DXO? Up for even more work???

First replies for this comment

Re: D800 as Super DX?

Unfortunately, no. 36 MP is the total number of pixels in a full sensor exposure on a D800. If you crop, whether in post or in-camera via DX mode, you're deleting pixels. The pixel density of the D800 is actually slightly less than the D7000 (even in FX mode), and significantly less than the 24 MP DX D7100, but this doesn't really speak to IQ. Pixel density is nothing more than number of pixels divided by physical size of the sensor. If it were possible to measure IQ based on number of pixels or pixel density, then the D800 would be 2 to 3 times better than the D4, which it clearly is not!

But back to the point, the main difference in cropping a full frame exposure (assuming you used an FX lens) is that you can choose exactly how much to crop whereas in DX mode you're maxed out at 16 MP, which gives you an image that is a close equivalent, as it's been reported by many, to that of a D7000 in both size and various measures of image quality (and also very similar pixel densities). I have a D7100 and love it and also a D800. I seem to be in rarefied air when I say I'm thrilled with the DX mode (and 1.2 crop mode). 16 MP is PLENTY! And if you get the MB-D12 grip and put in either the D4 battery or AA's you can get 6 FPS in cropped modes. You can also try the bracketing trick from here http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/51004727 to get 6 FPS without a grip! The difference between 4 and 6-7 FPS is huge and makes up for some of the ground this camera gives up to the D4. It doesn't turn it into a D4, of course, but it makes the D800 even more versatile than most people give it credit for, especially if you use the right glass. And this is the right place to find out what that glass should be!

Hmmmm

I'm curious why DxOMark lists the D800 as "semi-pro" and the 5D Mark III as "Professional", they even called the 5d Canon's "Flagship" in their review(?) Am I mistaken, or are these two cameras in the same class?

Best camera sensor ever, but no lenses tested after almost a year?

Dxo rates the D800/D800E higher than any other camera sensor. You would think they would be interested to see how well various lenses perform with it. It's now been almost a year since the camera's been released and, to date, they have tested only one lens with it; and the lens they chose to test? A cheap Tamron.Please, let's see some tests with the kinds of lenses a Nikon D800 user is likely to own. Maybe even a Nikon lens... Start with a few decent primes, like the 16mm, 24mm, 60mm, 85mm f/1.4 105mm and/or 200mm. Then a few of the decent zooms, like the 12-24mm, 14-24mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm, and/or 200-400mm.Any D800 owner will have one or more of those lenses in their kits.It would be nice to know how my new D800E stacks up against the camera I upgraded from. Just knowing how the sensor alone compares isn't all that useful, since I rarely shoot without a lens on my camera.What do you say?By the way, for those interested in whether the D800E produces moire in the real world: I've shot over 4,000 photos on the D800E, including lot of shots with textiles and architecture, and so far, there's been zero moire.

D4 vs D800

My main Reasons for the D4:1)Speed of focus - I can't use my 85 f/1.4 or 24 f/1.4 on my D3 or on a D800 and have it focus fast enough to get in focus shots of toddlers or other erratically moving things.2)Ethernet port ethernet tethering- I use a Netgear WNCE2001 and Mophie Powerstation Gen 2 which works quite well.D4 Wireless Tethering

First replies for this comment

Re: D4 vs D800

Quote:

<div id="linkdxomark">This a comment for <a href="http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Camera-Sensor-Database/Nikon/D800">this page on the website</a></div>My main Reasons for the D4:1)Speed of focus - I can't use my 85 f/1.4 or 24 f/1.4 on my D3 or on a D800 and have it focus fast enough to get in focus shots of toddlers or other erratically moving things.2)Ethernet port ethernet tethering- I use a Netgear WNCE2001 and Mophie Powerstation Gen 2 which works quite well.<a href="http://vigorotaku.blogspot.com/2012/11/d4-wireless-tethering.html">D4 Wireless Tethering</a>

Please tell me you're a pro who works for Parents magazine or some such.We now need a D4 to take snapshots of toddlers? First world problems. LOL

D800 vs D600

I am considering one of these cameras. I have read many reviews but none has given a definitive answer to image enlargement. I intend to print the files at 40X60 to 40X80, with interpolation, of course. It seems, from what I read, that a minimal camera shake, even from the mirror movement might not reveal the extra resolution of the sensor. Besides the array of lenses suited to work with the D800 in order to bring out all of its qualities seems to be rather limited and expensive. Ultimately will the 30% increase in pixel count make such a big difference for the print sizes I'm aiming at?

First replies for this comment

Re: D800 vs D600

The D800 is an exceptional camera in all situations. I use it for everything, including fast action, as well as for live evening performances without flash at iso 6400. Hand held in all situations. No shake troubles at all. And the images look great.As long as you have reasonably disciplined technique, it's not any more 'difficult' to use than other cameras.

That said, the D600's 24MP is a LOT. Just think - the highest resoluton DSLR in the world was 24MP until just a year ago (D3x) - so the D600 will do a fantastic job. And it has a far better sensor than the D3x, it's much faster, has better iso etc....

Nikon D800

The D800/D800E render levels of texture, nuance and detail to your photography that, until now, have been the exclusive domain of the complicated medium-format system. Define every eyelash, every line in tree bark, and every shimmer of light. Savor the exceptional depth in your still images — with the combination of an astounding 36.3 effective megapixel, the world's highest*, and the outstanding performance of NIKKOR lenses, you can. Enlarge them as big as A1 poster-sized prints (59.4 x 84.1 cm/23.4 x 33.1 in.) at 200 dpi, or crop aggressively to reach the composition you desire, all without sacrificing the detail and tonal range of the original. In order to maintain clean, high-resolution images, 14-bit A/D conversion within the sensor and a high signal-to-noise ratio deliver phenomenal images in a diverse array of situations. The image sensor's incredible potential does not stop with photography, either. For cinematographers ready to put their exceptionally sharp NIKKOR lenses into action, the D800/D800E's 36.3 effective megapixel data is efficiently processed for exquisite 1080p broadcast quality video at 30p.

Re: What is the point of D4 then?

Re: What is the point of D4 then?

Quote:

How about the fact that it shoots 10fps?

Horses for courses. Sport and news do not need 36MP. They want speed and ultra low-light shooting.

Disagree. Sport and news would LOVE to have 36MP. But it's impossible at the moment and they have to do without. When a 36MP camera turns up one day (within a few years) that can do 10fps and 50K ISO, every sports and news photographer will buy it. Of course.